It was only two days ago that Light Heavyweight Quinton Jackson announced that he’d signed a contract to continue his MMA career with Bellator MMA and Spike TV. In a media conference call on Wednesday, “Rampage” revealed that not only would he be fighting for the #2 promotion, but he’d also appear as a professional wrestler on Spike’s TNA. It didn’t take long at all for Spike and TNA to get him into action as he made his debut Thursday night on Impact in Atlanta, GA.
Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats called Rampage’s first appearance “very well done.” He was a little weak starting off, but “went into promo mode” after getting his feet wet. After former Olympian and professional wrestling veteran Kurt Angle challenged him, the two had a basic staredown, which Jackson has a wealth of experience in.
According to Dave Meltzer of MMA Fighting, Rampage’s debut was much more warmly received than that off his fellow mixed martial artist King Mo, who first appeared on TNA last fall:
When Lawal appeared on television, much of the crowd didn’t really react to him like a star. With Jackson, who fought before far larger television and pay-per-view audiences, as he walked down the ramp, camera phones were going off all over the arena, even more than at an MMA event.
Jackson’s Bellator debut has still not been announced, as he’s currently recovering from a knee injury. Because of that, it’s doubtful that wrestling fans will see him do any serious work in the ring any time soon either.